CN107117114B

CN107117114B - Integration of in-vehicle add-on modules into driver user interface

Info

Publication number: CN107117114B
Application number: CN201610812858.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 皮埃特·布托罗; 斯蒂芬·罗纳德·图凯斯; 詹姆斯·斯特沃特·兰金二世; 斯图亚特·C·索尔特; 加里·史蒂文·史杜莫乐
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2015-09-10
Filing date: 2016-09-09
Publication date: 2021-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 2036-09-09
Also published as: US9744852B2; CN107117114A; DE102016115908A1; US20170072794A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to integration of an in-vehicle add-on module to a driver user interface. A list of wireless on-board components installed to the vehicle may be maintained by the vehicle. The list may include on-board components factory installed to the vehicle and additional on-board components that may be added or removed by the user. The wireless transceiver may scan for changes to additional on-board components in the vehicle. The user interface may display a unified interface that includes both the factory installed wireless in-vehicle components and the additional wireless in-vehicle components. The user interface may be used by a user to view and adjust a configuration of an in-vehicle component of the in-vehicle components.

Description

Integration of in-vehicle add-on modules into driver user interface

Technical Field

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to the integration of an in-vehicle add-on module into a user interface of a host unit or other vehicle interface.

Background

The sales of personal devices, such as smart phones and wearable devices, continues to increase. Thus, more personal devices are brought into the automotive environment by the user. Smart phones have been available in some vehicle models for accessing various vehicle information, starting the vehicle, and opening windows and doors. Some wearable devices are capable of providing real-time navigation information to the driver. Device manufacturers are implementing a framework to enable their brands of personal devices to be more seamlessly integrated into the driving experience.

Bluetooth technology may be included in various user devices to allow the devices to communicate with each other. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is another wireless technology designed to provide data communication between devices. BLE provides communication with a smaller amount of data with reduced power consumption compared to bluetooth.

The BLE device may play the role of a central device or a peripheral device. When the peripheral device generates a broadcast (advertisement), the central device wirelessly scans the broadcast in the vicinity of the peripheral device. Once a peripheral device is connected to the central device, the peripheral device may suspend the broadcast so that other central devices may no longer be able to wirelessly identify or connect to the peripheral device until the existing connection is terminated.

BLE devices use a concept called service and characteristics to transmit data. A service is a collection of properties. The central device may connect to and access one or more characteristics of the services of the peripheral devices. A property encapsulates not only a single value or data type having one or more bytes of data, but also zero or more descriptors that describe the property's value. The descriptor may include information such as a human readable description, a range of characteristic values, or a unit of measure of a characteristic value. A Service Discovery Protocol (SDP) may allow devices to discover services provided by other devices and their associated parameters. A service may be identified by a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID).

Disclosure of Invention

In a first illustrative embodiment, a system includes a display integrated into a vehicle, a wireless transceiver, and a processor, wherein the processor is connected to the display and the wireless transceiver and is configured to: the method includes maintaining a list of factory installed wireless vehicle mounted components, scanning additional wireless vehicle mounted components in the vehicle using the wireless transceiver, updating the list based on the scanning to generate a user interface list listing both the factory installed wireless vehicle mounted components and the additional wireless vehicle mounted components, and providing the user interface list to a display.

In a second exemplary embodiment, a method is provided, the method comprising: maintaining a list of on-board components, the list including factory installed on-board components and additional on-board components added after the vehicle is built; scanning for additional onboard components within the vehicle using the wireless transceiver; in response to not locating the first additional wireless in-vehicle component during the scan, removing the first additional wireless in-vehicle component from the list; adding a second additional wireless in-vehicle component found during the scan to the list.

In a third illustrative embodiment, a computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable memory, the computer program product having instructions for configuring a vehicle processor in communication with a wireless transceiver to control a display, the computer program product comprising instructions for: maintaining a list of factory installed vehicle components; scanning a current on-board component in the vehicle using the wireless transceiver; updating the list based on the scanning; and sending the user interface list of the current vehicle-mounted component generated by the updating to a display.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the computer program product further comprises instructions for: in the list, identifiers of factory-installed on-board components and identifiers of additional components added after the vehicle is built are maintained.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the computer program product further comprises instructions for: in response to not locating an additional wireless in-vehicle component during the scan, removing the additional wireless in-vehicle component from the list.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the computer program product further comprises instructions for: additional wireless onboard components located during the scan are added to the list.

Drawings

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary system including a vehicle having a grid-like in-vehicle component configured to interact with a Vehicle Computing System (VCS);

FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary vehicle computing system equipped with a wireless transceiver configured to facilitate detection and communication with onboard components;

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an exemplary removable additional on-board assembly;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary user interface for selecting applications for use on a display of a vehicle computing system;

FIG. 4A illustrates an exemplary user interface of a vehicle component interface application showing an in-vehicle component detected by a vehicle computing system;

FIG. 4B illustrates an exemplary user interface for controlling factory installed in-vehicle components;

FIG. 4C illustrates an exemplary user interface for controlling additional in-vehicle components;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary process for scanning an in-vehicle component by a vehicle computing system;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for displaying a user interface for controlling in-vehicle components.

Detailed Description

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

Conventional vehicle interior components (such as reading lights or speakers) may be updated to include a communication interface such as BLE. Because BLE has a relatively low processor memory requirement (font), the processor of the internal components is able to integrate the functionality of the communication interface without the need for additional or more powerful processors. These enhanced components of the vehicle interior may be referred to as on-board components.

The on-board components may include components that are factory integrated into the vehicle. As some examples, factory installed in-vehicle components may include overhead lights, speakers, and built-in headrest video screens. Further, the on-board components may include after-market components that may be added to or removed from the vehicle by the vehicle occupant. As some examples, these removable in-vehicle components may include car seats with integrated vibration or music functions or window shades with remote lift functions. Since on-board components may be installed or removed, the on-board components available within the vehicle may change over time.

The vehicle computing system may include a communication interface such as BLE. Using the communication interface, the vehicle computing system may be configured to discover, identify, and interact with in-vehicle components located within the vehicle. The vehicle computing system may periodically perform discovery for on-board components. As some other examples, the vehicle computing system may perform the discovery in response to a user command to re-identify the in-vehicle components or upon another triggering condition (such as entry of a vehicle occupant), upon the vehicle ignition switch being turned on, or upon initialization of the vehicle computing system itself.

The vehicle computing system may also provide a user interface in which the configuration of the in-vehicle components may be viewed and adjusted. Accordingly, using the information broadcast by the in-vehicle modules, the vehicle computing system is able to provide a dynamic user interface that describes the currently available in-vehicle modules and services. Furthermore, by using a connection that does not require access to the vehicle bus (such as BLE), development of on-board components can be done independently of development of vehicle systems and does not require verification for components that access the vehicle bus.

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary system 100-A including a vehicle 102 having a grid-like in-vehicle component 106, the in-vehicle component 106 configured to interact with a vehicle computing system 110. The system 100-a may be configured to allow a user (such as a vehicle occupant) to seamlessly interact with an in-vehicle component 106 in the vehicle 102 or with any other framework-enabled vehicle 102 using a vehicle computing system 110.

Vehicle 102 may include various types of automobiles, cross-Country Utility Vehicles (CUVs), Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), trucks, Recreational Vehicles (RVs), boats, airplanes, or other mobile machines for transporting people or cargo. In many cases, the vehicle 102 may be driven by an internal combustion engine. As another possibility, the vehicle 102 may be a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) driven by both an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors, such as a Series Hybrid Electric Vehicle (SHEV), a Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), or a parallel/series hybrid electric vehicle (PSHEV). Since the type and configuration of the vehicle 102 may vary, the capabilities of the vehicle 102 may vary accordingly. As some other possibilities, the vehicle 102 may have different capabilities with respect to passenger capacity, tractive capacity and capacity, and storage capacity.

Personal devices 104-A, 104-B, and 104-C (collectively 104) may include a mobile device of a user and/or a wearable device of a user. The mobile device may be any of various types of portable computing devices (such as a cellular telephone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, a laptop computer, a portable music player, or other device capable of network communication with other mobile devices). As some non-limiting examples, the wearable device may include a smart watch, smart glasses, a fitness bracelet, a control ring, or other personal mobile or accessory device designed to be worn and communicate with the user's mobile device.

The in-vehicle components 106-A through 106-N (collectively 106) may include various elements of the vehicle 102 with user-configurable settings. As some examples, these in-vehicle components 106 may include overhead light in-vehicle components 106-A through 106-D, climate control in-vehicle components 106-E and 106-F, seat control in-vehicle components 106-G through 106-J, and speaker in-vehicle components 106-K through 106-N. Other examples of in-vehicle components 106 are possible, such as a rear seat entertainment screen or an automated window shade. In many cases, the in-vehicle component 106 may exhibit controls (such as buttons, sliders, and touch screens) that may be used by a user to configure particular settings of the in-vehicle component 106. As some possibilities, the controls of the in-vehicle assembly 106 may allow a user to set the illumination level of the light controls, set the temperature of the climate controls, set the volume and source of audio for the speakers, and set the position of the seat.

The interior of the vehicle 102 may be divided into a plurality of zones 108, where each zone 108 may be associated with a seat position in the interior of the vehicle 102. For example, the front row of the illustrated vehicle 102 may include a first zone 108-A associated with a driver seat position and a second zone 108-B associated with a front passenger seat position. The second row of the illustrated vehicle 102 may include a third zone 108-C associated with a driver-side rear seat position and a fourth zone 108-D associated with a passenger-side rear seat position. Variations in the number and arrangement of partitions 108 are possible. For example, the alternate second row may include an additional fifth subsection 108 of the second row middle seat position (not shown). Four occupants are shown located inside the exemplary vehicle 102, three of which are using the personal device 104. The driver occupant in the zone 108-a is not using the personal device 104. The front passenger occupant in the zone 108-B is using the personal device 104-a. The rear driver-side passenger occupant in sector 108-C is using the personal device 104-B. The rear passenger-side passenger occupant in the zone 108-D is using the personal device 104-C.

Each of the various on-board components 106 present inside the vehicle 102 may be associated with one or more zones 108. As some examples, in-vehicle components 106 may be associated with a zone 108 in which each in-vehicle component 106 is located and/or associated with one (or more) of zones 108 controlled by each in-vehicle component 106. For example, a vehicle light component 106-C that may be used by a front passenger may be associated with second zone 108-B, and a vehicle light component 106-D that may be used by a passenger's side rear passenger may be associated with fourth zone 108-D. It should be noted that the portion of the vehicle 102 shown in FIG. 1A is merely an example, and that more, fewer, and/or different locations of the on-board components 106 and zones 108 may be used.

The vehicle computing system 110 may be configured to provide telematics services to the vehicle 102. These services may include, as some non-limiting possibilities, navigation, turn-by-turn navigation, vehicle health reporting, local merchant searching, accident reporting, and hands-free calling. In an example, the vehicle computing system 110 may include the SYNC system manufactured by ford automotive, dielburn, michigan.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the vehicle computing system 110 may interact with a wireless transceiver 112 configured to communicate with the in-vehicle components 106 located within the vehicle 102. In example 100-B, wireless transceiver 112 may support communication via bluetooth and/or BLE.

The vehicle computing system 110 may also receive input from a human-machine interface (HMI) control 114, the HMI control 114 configured to provide an occupant with interaction with the vehicle 102. For example, the vehicle computing system 110 may interact with one or more buttons or other HMI controls 114 (e.g., steering wheel audio buttons, push-to-talk buttons, dashboard controls, etc.) configured to invoke functions on the vehicle computing system 110. The vehicle computing system 110 may also drive or otherwise communicate with one or more displays 116, the one or more displays 116 configured to provide visual output to a vehicle occupant. In some cases, display 116 may be a touch screen (e.g., operating as HMI control 114) that is also configured to receive user touch input, while in other cases display 116 may be an output device only, and need not have input capabilities.

The vehicle computing system 110 may also be configured to communicate with other components of the vehicle 102 over one or more in-vehicle networks. As some examples, the in-vehicle network may include one or more of a vehicle Controller Area Network (CAN), an ethernet network, and a Media Oriented System Transport (MOST). The in-vehicle network may allow the vehicle computing system 110 to communicate with other vehicle systems, such as a vehicle modem (which may not be present in some configurations), a Global Positioning System (GPS) module configured to provide current vehicle location and direction information, and various other vehicle controllers.

Each in-vehicle component 106 may also be equipped with a wireless receiver 118. The wireless receiver 118 may be configured to facilitate communication with the vehicle computing system 110. In an example, the wireless receiver 118 may include a wireless device (such as a bluetooth low energy transceiver). In an example, the wireless transceiver 112 of the vehicle computing system 110 may be in data communication with the wireless transceiver 118 of the in-vehicle component 106 via a wireless connection 120. The wireless connection 120 may be a BLE connection, but other types of local wireless connections 120 may also be utilized.

The vehicle component interface application 122 may be an application installed to the vehicle computing system 110. The vehicle component interface application 122 may be configured to facilitate vehicle occupant access to functionality of the in-vehicle component 106 that is opened to the configuration of the network via the wireless transceiver 118. In some cases, the vehicle component interface application 122 may be configured to: available in-vehicle components 106 are identified and an in-vehicle component list 124 of available in-vehicle components 106 is maintained. In an example, the in-vehicle component list 124 may include a list of factory installed wireless in-vehicle components 106 and a list of additional wireless in-vehicle components 106 detected by the vehicle component interface application 122. The vehicle component interface application 122 may also be configured to identify the available functions and current settings of the identified in-vehicle components 106. The vehicle component interface application 122 may also be configured to: a user interface is displayed that describes the available functions of in-vehicle component 106 on in-vehicle component list 124, receives user input, and provides commands to in-vehicle component 106 based on the user input that allow a user to control the functions of in-vehicle component 106. Thus, the vehicle computing system 110 may be configured to allow a vehicle occupant to seamlessly interact with the in-vehicle components 106 in the vehicle 102.

The vehicle component interface application 122 executed by the vehicle computing system 110 may be configured to scan and update an in-vehicle component list 124 of available in-vehicle components 106. As some examples, the scan may be performed periodically in response to a user requesting a refresh or upon activation of the vehicle component interface application 122. In the example of automatically performing a scan, the correct function settings are continually refreshed and the user interface of the vehicle component interface application 122 is updated to reflect changes on the installed or removed in-vehicle component 106.

Fig. 2A and 2B illustrate an example of a removable additional on-board assembly 106. As shown in FIG. 2A, removable on-board component 106 is a smart window shade that is attached to the windows of vehicle 102. Smart window shade in-vehicle assembly 106 may include a motor 202 for raising and lowering a window shade, a semi-rigid hinged side shaft 204 for pulling the window shade fabric open and folding it closed, and a retractable stand (anchor)206 for holding the window shade in place. The smart window shade vehicle assembly 106 may also include a controller 208 configured to command the motor 202 to open and close.

As shown in the block diagram of fig. 2B, the smart window covering may also include other components (such as an ultraviolet light sensor or other light sensor 210 configured to monitor light conditions and provide light intensity information to the controller 208). Controller 208 may utilize controller logic 212 to allow the controller to automatically open and close the window covering. For example, the controller logic 212 may include a first light threshold level above which the controller 208 commands the motor 202 to close a window covering and a second light threshold level below which the controller 208 commands the motor 202 to open the window covering. The controller 208 may also be configured to command the motor 202 based on user input to the controls 214 of the smart window covering. In an example, the controls 214 may include an open and close button that, when selected, will send a signal to the controller 208 to command the window covering to raise or lower. The controller logic 212 may accordingly receive a signal from the control 214 and command the motor 202 to raise or lower the window covering. The controller 208 may also be configured to receive wireless commands from the wireless transceiver 118 to control the window covering, and to command the wireless transceiver 118 to broadcast information regarding the available functions and current status (e.g., open, closed, etc.) of the smart window covering.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary user interface 300 for selecting applications for use on the host unit display 116 of the vehicle computing system 110. For example, the host unit display 116 may be driven through a video connection of the vehicle computing system 110 of the vehicle 102. The user interface 300 may include a sorted list 302 of one or more content screens to be displayed in a home screen area 304 of the host unit display 116. As some examples, the sorted list 302 can include an audio screen through which configuration of audio settings for the vehicle 102 can be performed, a climate control screen through which climate control settings for the vehicle 102 can be configured, a telephone screen through which call services can be utilized, a navigation screen through which map and route planning can be performed, an installed application can be invoked through an application screen, and a settings screen through which backlight settings or other general settings for the host unit display 116 can be accessed. The user interface 300 may also include a general information area 306, wherein the current time, current temperature, and other information may remain visible to the user through the general information area 306 regardless of whether a particular screen or application is active in the home screen area 304.

As shown, the application screen is shown as selected from the sorted list 302, and the home screen area 304 is shown as displaying a list of available applications that may be invoked. For example, these applications may include a find new app application item 308-A, an Internet radio item 308-B, a satellite radio item 308-C, a streaming media radio item 308-D, an icon 308-E for selection of the vehicle component interface application 122, a map item 308-F, a message icon 308-G, and a weather icon 308-H. To invoke the vehicle component interface application 122 to control the in-vehicle component 106, the user may select the icon 308-E from the user interface 300.

FIG. 4A illustrates an exemplary user interface 400-A of the vehicle component interface application 122 showing the in-vehicle component 106 detected by the personal device 104. As shown, the user interface 400-A may be presented by the vehicle component interface application 122 on the display 116 of the vehicle computing system 110 and may include a list 402 configured to display selectable list entries 404-A through 404-D (collectively 404) indicative of the identified in-vehicle components 106. Each selectable list entry 404 may indicate a detected group of in-vehicle components 106 (family) that may be configured by the user. Thus, the selectable list entries 404 may be based on the in-vehicle components 106 maintained by the vehicle computing system 110 on the in-vehicle components list 124. The user interface 400-A may also include a title tab 406 for indicating to the user that the user interface 400-A is displaying a menu of in-vehicle components 106 detected by the vehicle component interface application 122.

As shown, the list 402 of vehicle component interface applications 122 includes an entry 404-A for a window shade vehicle mounted component 106 (e.g., such as the window shade vehicle mounted component 106 described above with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B), an entry 404-B for a vehicle light mounted component 106, an entry 404-C for a vehicle seat mounted component 106, and an entry 404-D for a climate control vehicle mounted component 106. Notably, the list 402 may include a unified list of both factory installed in-vehicle components 106 and additional in-vehicle components 106. The list 402 may operate as a menu such that a user of the user interface 400-a can scroll through the list entries of the list control 402 (e.g., using the up and down arrow buttons and the select button to invoke the selected menu item). In some cases, the list control 402 may be displayed on a touch screen such that a user can touch the list control 402 to select and invoke a menu item. As another example, the user interface 400-A may support voice command selection of menu items. For example, to invoke the option of the headlight on-board component 106, the user may speak the voice command "headlight". It should be noted that the illustrated entry 404 is merely an example, and more or different in-vehicle components 106 may be available.

FIG. 4B illustrates an exemplary user interface 400-B for controlling the factory installed in-vehicle components 106. The user interface 400-B may be provided to the display 116 of the vehicle computing system 110. In an example, user interface 400-B may display the functionality of vehicle light on-board assembly 106 in response to a user input to entry 404-B in user interface 400-A. User interface 400-B may also include a title tab 406 for indicating to the user that user interface 400-B is displaying the function of the selected vehicle light on-board assembly 106.

As shown, user interface 400-B may include a list 408 configured to display selectable controls 410-A through 410-C (collectively 410) based on the identified functionality of in-vehicle component 106. Each selectable control 410 may indicate a function of an identified in-vehicle component 106 that is configurable by a user. User interface 400-B may also include a title tab 406 for indicating to the user that user interface 400-B is displaying a menu of functions for the identified in-vehicle component 106. In some cases, when the title tab 406 is selected, the user interface 400-B may revert back to the user interface 300, allowing the user to return to the list of currently active in-vehicle components 106.

As shown, list 408 includes a control 410-A for toggling lights on and off 106, a control 410-B for specifying the brightness of lights 106, and a control 410-C for specifying the color of lights 106. The list 408 may also provide scrolling in the event that there are more controls 410 (which may be visually presented in the display 116 at the same time). In some cases, control 410 may be displayed on a touch screen such that a user can touch control 410 to make adjustments to the functionality of in-vehicle component 106. As another example, user interface 400-B may support voice commands. For example, to switch the lights to on, the user may speak the voice command "turn on the lights", or simply speak the voice command "turn on". It should be noted that the illustrated controls 410 are merely examples, and that more or different functions or layouts of functions of in-vehicle components 106 may be utilized.

It should be noted that while control 410 of user interface 400-B includes a toggle switch for turning the lights on and off and two sliders for adjusting the brightness and ambient color based on the characteristics, the actual physical in-vehicle components 106 may have different user interfaces 400-B. For example, in-vehicle component 106 may include a simpler user interface (such as a single mechanical switch or proximity switch for turning lights on and off) so that the occupant will not have to rely on the use of vehicle computing system 110 to utilize the basic functionality of in-vehicle component 106.

In some examples, user interface 400-B may also include a partition interface 412 for allowing a user of display 116 to switch between in-vehicle components 106 within different partitions 108. As one possible approach, the partition interface 412 may include a control 414-A for selecting the driver-side rear partition 108-C and a control 414-B (collectively controls 414) for selecting the passenger-side rear partition 108-D. In response to selection of one of the controls 414, the user interface 400-B may correspondingly display the control 410 for the corresponding in-vehicle component 106 of the selected zone 108. For example, if a car light control in partition 108-C is currently being displayed and the user selects control 414-B to display a corresponding control for partition 108-D, user interface 400-B may display the functionality of the car light control for partition 108-D.

FIG. 4C illustrates an exemplary user interface 400-C for controlling additional in-vehicle components 106. As with 400-B, the user interface 400-C may also be provided to the display 116 of the vehicle computing system 110. In an example, user interface 400-C may display the functionality of window shade vehicle assembly 106 in response to a user input to entry 404-A in user interface 400-A. The user interface 400-C may also include a title tab 406 for indicating to the user that the user interface 400-C is displaying the function of the selected curtain carload assembly 106. Thus, the vehicle component interface application 122 can provide a consistent user interface over the factory installed in-vehicle components 106 and the additional in-vehicle components 106.

As shown, list 408 includes a control 410-A for toggling open and close window covering vehicle-mounted component 106 and a control 410-B for specifying a window covering position (e.g., to what extent a window covering will be placed up or down). In response to a user input to control 410-A or control 410-B, vehicle computing system 110 may wirelessly command window covering in-vehicle component 106. In an example, if the user selects to adjust shade position using control 410-B, the vehicle computing system 110 may send a wireless command addressed to the wireless transceiver 118 of the shade car assembly 106 using the wireless transceiver 112. Controller 208 of window shade in-vehicle assembly 106 may receive the command accordingly and utilize controller logic 212 to command motor 202 to raise or lower the window shade to the desired position. Notably, these operations may be performed without requiring the vehicle computing system 110 or the window covering on-board components 106 to communicate with each other over a vehicle bus.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary process 500 for scanning the in-vehicle component 106 by the vehicle computing system 110. In an example, the process 500 may be performed by the vehicle computing system 110 executing the vehicle component interface application 122.

At operation 502, the vehicle computing system 110 performs a scan. In an example, a scanning service of the vehicle component interface application 122 executed by the vehicle computing system 110 may utilize the wireless transceiver 112 to scan for BLE broadcasts. In an example, triggering of the scan may be performed periodically. As some other examples, the vehicle computing system 110 may perform the discovery in response to a user command to re-identify the in-vehicle component 106, or upon another triggering condition (such as entry of an occupant of the vehicle 102), upon an ignition switch of the vehicle 102 being turned on, or upon initialization of the vehicle computing system 110 and/or the vehicle component interface application 122. At operation 504, the vehicle computing system 110 determines whether any BLE modules are present. If so, control proceeds to operation 506. Otherwise, control passes to operation 512.

At operation 506, the vehicle computing system 110 determines whether the detected BLE module is an in-vehicle component 106. In an example, when a module is discovered, the vehicle component interface application 122 parses the service UUID of the in-vehicle component 106 to determine whether the service UUID indicates the in-vehicle component 106. For example, the vehicle component interface application 122 can identify whether the service UUID is within the range of identifiers associated with becoming an in-vehicle component 106. If the module is an in-vehicle component 106, control passes to operation 508. Otherwise, control passes to operation 512.

At operation 508, the vehicle computing system 110 determines whether the detected in-vehicle component 106 was previously detected. For example, the vehicle computing system 110 may maintain an in-vehicle component list 124 indicating currently active in-vehicle components 106, in an example, the in-vehicle component list 124 may be used to generate the list 402 of vehicle component interface applications 122 of the user interface 400-A. The vehicle computing system 110 may compare the service identifier, address, or other information of the detected in-vehicle component 106 to the service identifiers, addresses, or other information of the in-vehicle components 106 in the list of previously detected in-vehicle components 124 to determine whether the in-vehicle component 106 was previously detected. If the in-vehicle component 106 was previously detected, control passes to operation 502. Otherwise, control passes to operation 510.

At operation 510, the vehicle computing system 110 adds the newly detected in-vehicle component 106 to the in-vehicle component list 124. In an example, the vehicle component interface application 122 may add information from the broadcast, such as a service identifier of the in-vehicle component 106, an address where the in-vehicle component 106 may be accessed, and/or other information about the in-vehicle component 106, such as timeout information from the broadcast, to the in-vehicle component list 124. After operation 510, control returns to operation 502 to perform the scan.

At operation 512, the vehicle computing system 110 determines whether any of the in-vehicle components 106 should be removed from the in-vehicle components list 124. In an example, the vehicle component interface application 122 may determine whether any timeouts for the in-vehicle components 106 on the in-vehicle components list 124 have expired. In another example, the vehicle component interface application 122 may determine whether any previously detected in-vehicle components 106 are no longer located during the scan. If not, control passes to operation 514 to remove those in-vehicle components 106 from the in-vehicle components list 124. If so, control returns to operation 502 to perform the scan.

Thus, using the process 500, the vehicle computing system 110 is able to wirelessly maintain the in-vehicle component list 124 of available in-vehicle components 106 without having to access the vehicle bus.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process 600 for displaying user interface 400 for controlling in-vehicle component 106. In an example, process 600 may be performed by in-vehicle component 106 and vehicle computing system 110 communicating over a wireless connection.

At operation 602, the vehicle computing system 110 receives an indication to invoke the user interface 400. In an example, the vehicle computing system 110 may receive an indication that the user selected the in-vehicle component icon 308-E from the user interface 300. At operation 604, the vehicle computing system 110 generates the user interface 400. The generated user interface 400 may include a list 402 of controls 404 based on the detection of the in-vehicle component list 124 performed in process 600.

At operation 606, the vehicle computing system 110 determines whether there is user interaction with the vehicle component interface application 122. In an example, the vehicle component interface application 122 may receive input to a user interface 400, which user interface 400 is provided to the display 116 to adjust the state of the in-vehicle component 106. As some examples, referring to fig. 4B and 4C, a user may provide input to one or more controls 410 as described above. If the interaction is received, control passes to operation 608. Otherwise, control passes to operation 610.

At operation 608, the vehicle computing system 110 updates the control values for the in-vehicle components 106. In an example, the vehicle component interface application 122 utilizes the wireless transceiver 112 to send a message to the in-vehicle component 106 for updating a status of the in-vehicle component 106. For example, in response to a user selection from the user interface 400 for the smart window shade in-vehicle assembly 106 to scroll down, the vehicle assembly interface application 122 may command the wireless transceiver 112 to send a message addressed to the wireless transceiver 118 of the smart window shade in-vehicle assembly 106 requesting that the window shade be rolled up or rolled down. After operation 608, control passes to operation 606.

At operation 610, the in-vehicle component 106 determines whether there is an update to the status of the in-vehicle component 106. In an example, a user may use controls of in-vehicle component 106 to adjust a control value of in-vehicle component 106 (e.g., a user may use controls on smart window shade in-vehicle component 106 to command a window shade to roll downward). In another example, the in-vehicle component 106 may adjust its own state (e.g., the smart window shade in-vehicle component 106 may scroll down based on the detected enhanced light condition). This interaction may cause in-vehicle component 106 to broadcast a message or to broadcast that a change in the state of in-vehicle component 106 has occurred. If the control value of in-vehicle component 106 has changed, control passes to operation 612. Otherwise, control passes to operation 606.

At operation 612, the vehicle computing system 110 receives the control state values from the in-vehicle components 106. In an example, vehicle component interface application 122 may obtain the current state of the control from in-vehicle component 106 because in-vehicle component 106 uses the change in BLE broadcast state or by broadcasting the change in state to vehicle computing system 110.

At operation 614, the vehicle computing system 110 refreshes the user interface 400. In an example, the vehicle component interface application 122 may indicate a changed state of the control (e.g., open, closed, volume level, shade up/down, etc.) based on the state of the control received at operation 612. After operation 614, control passes to operation 606.

The computing devices described herein (such as the personal device 104, the in-vehicle component 106, the vehicle computing system 110, and the controller 208) typically include computer-executable instructions that may be executed in the computing deviceMay be executed by one or more computing devices, such as those listed above. Computer-executable instructions (such as instructions of the vehicle component interface application 122 or the controller logic 212) may be compiled or interpreted from a computer program created using various programming languages and/or techniques, including but not limited to java^TMC, C + +, C #, Visual Basic, JavaScript, Perl, and the like, or combinations thereof. In general, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions, e.g., from a memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes those instructions to perform one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Various computer readable media may be used to store and communicate such instructions and other data.

With respect to the processes, systems, methods, teachings, etc., described herein, it should be understood that although the steps of such processes, etc., have been described as occurring according to a particular ordered sequence, such processes may be practiced with the described steps performed in an order other than the order described herein. It should also be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, that other steps may be added, or that certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the processes described herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating particular embodiments and should not be construed as limiting the claims in any way.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A system for managing vehicle-mounted components, comprising:

a display integrated into a vehicle;

a wireless transceiver;

a processor connected to the display and the wireless transceiver and configured to:

a list of factory installed wireless onboard components is maintained,

additional wireless onboard components in the vehicle are scanned using the wireless transceiver,

updating the list based on the scanning to generate a user interface list listing both factory installed wireless in-vehicle components and additional wireless in-vehicle components,

providing the list of user interfaces to a display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receiving user input to a display, the input requesting a change in a state of one of the in-vehicle components,

updating a state of one of the in-vehicle components with a wireless transceiver.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the change in state is one of: roll intelligent window shade vehicle-mounted components downwards or roll intelligent window shade vehicle-mounted components upwards.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receiving an indication of a change in state from one of the in-vehicle components;

updating a status of one of the in-vehicle components in the list in response to the indication.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the change of state is based on an automatic change of input from a light sensor of the on-board components to one of the on-board components.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the change in state is in response to a received input to a user interface control of one of the in-vehicle components.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is a host unit of the vehicle and the processor is a telematics control unit processor.

8. A method for managing in-vehicle components, comprising:

maintaining an on-board component list, the list including factory installed components and additional components added after the vehicle is built;

scanning for additional onboard components in the vehicle using the wireless transceiver;

in response to not locating the first additional wireless in-vehicle component during the scan, removing the first additional wireless in-vehicle component from the list;

adding a second additional wireless onboard component located during the scan to the list.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating a user interface list, the user interface list including both the factory-installed component and the add-on component;

providing the list of user interfaces to a display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the display is a host unit of a vehicle.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving user input to the display requesting a change in a state of one of the in-vehicle components;

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the change of state is one of: rolling the window shade vehicle mounted component downward or rolling the window shade vehicle mounted component upward.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

updating a status of one of the in-vehicle components in the user interface list in response to the indication.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the change of state is one of: automatically changing an input to one of the in-vehicle components based on a sensor from the in-vehicle component or in response to receiving an input to a user interface control of one of the in-vehicle components.